According to the UN Refugee Agency, an IDP is a person who has been forced to flee their home but never cross an international border. IDPs include people displaced by internal strife and natural disasters. These individuals seek safety wherever they can—in nearby towns, schools, settlements, internal camps, forests and fields. Unlike refugees, IDPs are not protected by international law or eligible to receive many types of aid because they are legally under the protection of their own government.

Related terms: Refugee, stateless person, asylum seeker